It’s a reasonable question as you motor along the park’s main entrance and encounter a felled tree far more massive than anything you’d spot in the outlying woods.

That’s because the tree isn’t local. It’s a chunk of redwood hauled from California a century ago.

In 1915, The Holt Caterpillar Co. wanted to demonstrate the power of its crawler-type equipment. For that purpose, the redwood was brought to the company’s East Peoria plant.

After the tree was nudged around, it was left to stand decoratively as a two-part display in front of the plant. Later, it was donated to the Peoria Park District and relocated to Detweiller Park.

The park itself was a gift by Thomas Detweiller, who purchased the 661-acre Payson Farm and renamed it in honor of his father, pioneer steamboat Capt. Henry Detweiller. The park was dedicated in 1928.

Over time, the redwood began to lose its bark. For a while, the park district nailed pieces of bark back onto the tree. Eventually, the park district abandoned the losing effort and let the tree become naturally nude.